Juan Diego Ugaz

Education: University of Michigan B.A. with Distinction and Highest Honors in Political Science University of Michigan Law School J.D. Cum Laude; Note Editor, University of Michigan Law Review; Author of the "Haitian Vacation", Volume 77 - Michigan Law Review, Recipient of Howard Coblentz Award for Performance on the Law Review Past Employment: 1987-1994: Layman, Jones & Dye, Irvine, Ca. Litigation Partner from 1/88 -1/94 1983-1987: Assistant United States Attorney Central District of Cal...

Mrs. Scherer is a senior partner in the firm and heads the family law practice at Silverman Thompson. She concentrates representation in divorce, child custody, parenting agreements, alimony, marital property division, marital settlement agreements, child support, visitation, paternity, step-parent adoption, jurisdictional disputes (including international child custody disputes), and interstate child custody and child support matters. Mrs. Scherer regularly appears in state courts throughout...

Elan Hersh is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants. Elan, who practices law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Elan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Matt Hardin is a second-generation attorney who grew up in Cookeville, Tennessee. He attended Rhodes College as an undergraduate before going on to obtain both his master’s and law degrees from the University of Tennessee. Matt’s practice is focused in the areas of plaintiff personal injury, car & tractor trailer wrecks, wrongful death, medical malpractice and premises liability. He practices law throughout all three grand divisions of the state of Tennessee and in Kentucky. H...

Russell L. Foster, a member with the firm, has litigated and argued a wide variety of matters in both federal and state courts. He also has extensive experience in mediation and arbitration proceedings involving labor and employment issues, oil and gas matters, commercial disputes, and personal injury. Mr. Foster has given and contributed to speeches and presentations concerning topics such as workplace torts, the impact of the National Labor Relations Act in the non-union workplace, and inve...

Brandon G. Waas is a partner in the firm’s Miami office who primarily practices personal injury litigation and first party property/coverage litigation, while co-managing a group of approximately 30 attorneys. In addition, Mr. Waas also practices in the areas of general civil litigation, legal malpractice, real estate malpractice, bad faith/extra-contractual liability, hospitality industry defense, and commercial and residential property damage claims. Born and raised in Miami, Florida,...

James C. Franczek, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. James C., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 1989. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Erik Puknys’ career in intellectual property began more than 25 years ago, when he joined the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office as a patent examiner. Erik started his legal career at Finnegan’s Washington, D.C. office in 1994, and moved to California in 1997 to help open the firm’s Silicon Valley office. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in district courts around the United States, in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and in the U.S. Supreme Cour...

Mr. Pote’s practice is focused on strategic intellectual property counseling, including invention harvesting, global patent preparation and prosecution, copyright and trademark counseling, and cybersecurity issues, including information security and data privacy. He has been involved in infringement, validity, enforceability studies, IP due diligence and ex parte, and inter-partes patent reexaminations. Representative technologies include software and electronic systems, deep learning s...

Melinda focuses on providing holistic multi-generational income and wealth transfer tax planning advice and estate and trust services to high net worth individuals, families, and business owners. She also advises fiduciaries and beneficiaries on probate and estate and trust administration, and serves as a technical expert working closely with the firm’s Litigation group on estate and trust litigation matters. Melinda brings a unique and diverse perspective from her work in private law p...